More Fun When We're Together
by maibelle96
Summary: After experiencing the pain of losing Lucy during the Grand Magic Games, Natsu wants to do something to show her how much he cares about her.
1. Chapter 1

**I Like Having You Around**

After an exciting day of shopping in Magnolia Town, Lucy couldn't wait to take a nice, long bath and try on all of her new clothes. Usually during their missions, Natsu would destroy half the town and they'd have to use their reward money to pay off the damages. Lately, though, Natsu had been oddly composed and, well, un-Natsu-like. A few days ago they were able to cleanly round-up a gang of thugs and come home with four hundred thousand jewels. She felt as though she should be more concerned about her teammate's recent change in attitude, but she wasn't going to complain if she could pay her rent for once _and_ go shopping!

Lucy could hear a loud commotion as she turned onto Strawberry Street and immediately knew what she was in for.

_I guess my bath will have to wait. . ._ she thought as Gray, Fairy Tail's ice mage, came crashing through her window with a gust of smoke and flames. She felt as though she should be angry, but she was still in high spirits from her shopping adventure. . . and she sort of anticipated this type of behavior from her guild mates.

She opened the door of her apartment with a sigh, and joined the impromptu dinner party taking place in her apartment (okay, so it was really a breaking and entering and burglary of every item of food in her kitchen). She looked around and saw Erza eating a piece of strawberry cake while perusing through the manuscript of Lucy's latest novel, Happy sitting on her table munching on a fish, and Natsu with his head inside her refrigerator maniacally forcing every bit of food into his mouth.

Lucy smiled weakly and made her way to the kitchen. Maybe their behavior was expected, but that didn't mean it was really welcome.

"Well, it's good to see you acting more like yourself. . . I think. Did you save me anything?"

"Looshey!" Natsu exclaimed while still stuffing his face. "Hew you go! We made oo shom noodles!" Lucy looked at the unappetizing slop and tried not to cringe. Aside from Mira, Fairy Tail's barmaid, her nakama weren't really known for their cooking abilities.

"Uh, thanks. . . I think I'll go take a bath first. . ."

"Oi, flame-brain! The hell was that for!?" Gray yelled as he burst through Lucy's front door.

"That's for trying to eat Lucy's noodles, Underwear Pervert!" Natsu retorted.

Gray looked down to see that he was, in fact, only wearing his underwear. A furious aura radiated from the pair of rivals. Lucy cringed as she worried about what they might break this time.

"ENOUGH!" Erza bellowed. "Can't you see that you two are bothering Lucy?! Gray, go home and put some clothes on!"

Gray shrunk away from Erza and slithered out the door. Natsu hid behind Lucy, hoping that Erza wouldn't throw him out, too.

"I must be going now. Thank you for letting me read your novel, Lucy. It was... enticing." Erza said with a smirk. She left Lucy's apartment, her armor noisily clanking.

_It's not like I gave you permission. . ._ Lucy thought to herself as her face became hot with embarrassment.

"Oi, Happy! What does 'enticing' mean?" Natsu asked his exceed companion.

"I think it means delicious." Happy inanely replied.

"Oh. . . how is a book delicious? You can't eat it, can you?" Natsu asked. The pair suddenly became pensive, undoubtedly wondering whether or not they should try eating Lucy's new manuscript.

"Okay, well, I have some things to do, so I'll see you guys at the guild hall tomorrow!" Lucy said with a large, artificial smile as she furiously waved and backed into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and locked it for good measure. Then, she collapsed in front of the door with a sigh. _Well, that could have been a lot worse._

She slowly undressed and eased herself into her tub, letting the lavender-scented bubbles wash away her vexation.

* * *

Meanwhile and unbeknownst to Lucy, Natsu and Happy sat on the bed waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom. Natsu was so consumed by his thoughts that even Happy, oblivious as he usually was, became concerned.

"What's wrong, Natsu? You look constipated or something." Happy remarked.

"It's not that. I just can't stop thinking about what happened with the Rogue from the future. When Lucy. . . you know. . ." Natsu placed his face in his hands. It was hard enough to think about it, never mind put it into words.

"But she didn't die! She's in the bathroom right now!"

"I know. . . It's just. . . I wasn't able to save her. What if something like that happens again?"

"That's really unlikely, Natsu. I mean, who would use that kind of plot device twice?!"

"I guess you're right. I feel like I should do something to let her know that I. . ." Natsu abruptly stopped talking, trying to think of the right words. "That I like having her around and all. . ."

Happy covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. "You liiiiiike her!" he exclaimed, giggling.

Natsu jumped up and covered the exceed's mouth. "Shhh! Shut up! It's not like that, stupid!" He removed his hand and slumped cross-armed on Lucy's bed, looking agitated.

Happy, still laughing, decided to try to help the dragon slayer. "Well, I always give Carla some fish to let her know I care about her."

Natsu perked up at this idea. "Happy, you're a genius!"

"I know! But I don't think that Lucy really likes fish. . ."

"No, idiot! I can get her a present or something! That'll show her!"

Natsu barged into Lucy's bathroom, breaking the door off of its hinges. "Bye, Luce! Happy and I have some things to do!"

Lucy, completely startled, hurriedly tried to cover herself up while simultaneously hurling a bar of soap at the dragon slayer. "I thought you had already left! Get out of here, idiot!"

Natsu laughed and jumped out of the bedroom window with Happy flying after him. The pair headed towards Magnolia's shopping district, eager to find the perfect gift for Lucy.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Perfect Gift**

Natsu and Happy quickly became overwhelmed by the vast array of shopping options in Magnolia's merchant center. There were clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, flower shops, restaurants. . . Restaurants?! After his stomach was full of spicy beef and fire whiskey, Natsu was ready to tackle anything.

"How about this?" Happy asked, holding up a small pink fishing rod. Natsu thought about how every time they would go fishing, Lucy would always just read a book in the shade. _It must be because she doesn't have a fishing rod!_

"Hmm, that seems pretty good. Now when we go fishing, Lucy can join us instead of just sitting around reading some boring book." Natsu was feeling pretty good about this idea until it suddenly dawned on him that Lucy liked books, and perhaps she'd prefer reading to fishing. _Why would she bothering tagging along with us instead of just reading at home? She's really weird. . ._

"Actually, maybe we should keep looking, just in case." Natsu decided. "We cant get Lucy just anything. We gotta think about something she'd really like to get."

"Aye, sir! Well, what do we know about Lucy?"

"Hmmm, let's see. . . She's a girl!"

"Okay, what kind of things do girls like?!"

That pair looked around and saw countless clothing stores, perfume shops, candy stores, salons, and. . . became overwhelmed again.

"I think we need to narrow this down some more. What else do we know about Lucy?" Natsu asked.

"Well, she's in Fairy Tail, so she's a mage. . ."

"Perfect!" Natsu exclaimed.

Natsu and Happy headed into the nearest magic shop and started browsing. There were all types of magical items: armor, amulets, potions, and weapons. A large, flaming sword quickly caught Natsu's eye. He picked it up and started swinging it around carelessly. The shop owner fearfully dove under the counter, wondering why he had chosen to start his business in the home town of Fiore's most destructive guild.

As Natsu swung the sword, fire balls erupted from the tip. He pointed the weapon at the open shop entrance and a swirling pillar of flames burst from the end of the sword. Natsu grinned from ear to ear. He lifted the sword into the air, unable to contain his excitement."Let's get this!" he exclaimed.

Happy hid behind him, his whole body shaking with fear. Confused, the dragon slayer looked around and noticed a smoking, charred figured standing in the doorway. He froze as Erza, smouldering, slowly clanked towards him surrounded by a murderous aura. She requipped into her Heavenly Wheel Armor, and Natsu whimpered as 100 swords suspended in midair pointed directly at him.

"Any last words?" Erza growled.

"P-please don't kill me?" Natsu said as he put his hands out in front of him and tried to smile.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"If you kill him, he'll never get to give his present to Lucy!" Happy said, too amused by Natsu's predicament to be afraid of Erza.

Erza lowered her swords, then requipped back into her normal armor, her interest piqued. She had a soft spot for Lucy. "What present?"

Natsu, sensing that he was no longer in danger, lifted the enormous, flaming sword in the air with a large grin on his face. More flames burst from the tip.

"_That_ is for Lucy? What makes you think she would want a sword? Have you ever even seen her use one?" Erza asked, trying not to be too surprised by the dragon slayer's stupidity.

"She doesn't use one because she doesn't have one, duh! This'll be perfect! Now we can both use fire magic!" Natsu exclaimed, feeling as though he won the argument with his flawless logic. Natsu slurped the flames from the sword like he was eating noodles and belched smoke. The sword once again erupted into flames. "This is the coolest sword ever!" Natsu cheerfully exclaimed.

Erza couldn't help but smile at the thought of Lucy struggling to wield the heavy, flaming sword with Natsu triumphantly spewing flames by her side._ Those two need all the help they can get_, she thought to herself, shaking her head.

"Natsu, did you try thinking about _Lucy's_ magic? Maybe you should get her something that she would be more comfortable using." Erza said patiently.

Natsu looked at the sword and frowned. He noticed a few keys on display towards the front of the shop. _She's not just a mage, she's a Celestial Spirit mage. . . damn, this is really hard_. . . Natsu thought as he walked towards the keys. Meanwhile, Erza spoke with the shopkeeper and told him to send the damage report and bills to Fairy Tail. The shopkeeper was appeased and gave her a large box from behind the counter.

"Well, I came to pick up my new armor, so I must be going now. Good luck, Natsu." she said as she left the shop and headed towards the guild hall.

Natsu looked at the silver keys frowning. There were no powerful spirits that Lucy could use for battle, just a couple of cutesy ones like Plue. He remembered how happy she was when she made her contract with Plue. She had purchased that key the same day that they met. He smiled and picked out Felis, a kitten celestial spirit. He also bought the sword, just in case.

"So when are you gonna give it to Lucy?" Happy asked as the two left the magic shop. Natsu felt pretty good about the gifts he'd bought, but the thought of giving them to Lucy made him feel sick for some reason. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._ he thought.

"Give what to Lucy?" a voice called from behind them. Cana, the resident drunk of Fairy Tail, mischievously stumbled over to them, a knowing grin on her face. She put her arm around Natsu's shoulders and walked along with him.

"None of your business." Natsu said, annoyed. Too many people knew he was trying to buy something for Lucy as it was. The last thing he needed was Cana teasing him and telling everyone about it.

"Don't tell me you're finally going to confess to her?" Cana said, trying to irritate him.

"Confess what?! I didn't do anything!" Natsu said, wondering what he was getting blamed for now.

"You're hopeless." Cana sighed. "I feel bad for you, so I'll help you out. Do you know what girls _really_ like to get from guys?" She said with an evil smile. Natsu, oblivious to the fact that she was toying with him, became interested. "Every girl wants a boy to get her. . . sexy lingerie." she said as she steered him towards a fancy clothing store. Before Natsu could protest, they were standing in front of countless racks of bras and panties.

"L-like hell I'm getting her anything like this!" Natsu said, blushing.

"Think about all the times you've burst into her apartment. You know she loves this kind of thing." Cana insisted. _This is too easy! s_he thought, trying to hide her amusement.

Natsu thought back to the last time he'd burst through her window unannounced._ "Get out of here, you idiot!" she screamed as she kicked him out the window while wearing tiny pink ruffled panties and barely covering her large breasts with her arm._ Natsu started drooling. Cana, getting a little grossed out standing next to Natsu while he was obviously having perverted thoughts, smacked him in the head and knocked him out of his daydream.

"How about this one?" she asked as she held up a lacy black bra with pink flames embroidered on the cup and matching panties. Natsu hesitated, but then thought about how she would look while wearing it. _Well, Cana is a girl, so she'd know probably better than me_. . . he tried to rationalize. He quickly snatched the lingerie from Cana's loose grip.

"Are you sure she'll like this?" Natsu asked innocently while looking at the lingerie. He really wanted to get her something nice.

"Definitely." Cana said, trying her best to sound sincere. "Good luck, Natsu! I can't wait to hear how it goes!" she said as she walked away laughing.

Natsu purchased the lingerie and headed home to wrap his presents for Lucy. His face was pale and he was feeling nauseated at the thought of giving these gifts to her.

"Are you sure about this?" Happy asked worriedly.

"What are you talking about?! This was your idea!" Natsu shouted, knowing who he was going to blame if this went badly. "I gotta do this. She needs to know." Natsu quickened his pace, full of determination. There was no backing out now.


	3. Chapter 3

Natsu walked briskly through the streets of Magnolia whistling while carrying his beautifully wrapped presents for Lucy. She would open them, he would get to see that magical smile on her face that would light up the room, and he would be happy for days knowing that he was the one that put it there. Happy, on the other hand, was doubtful.

"Are you _really_ sure about this, Natsu?" Happy asked, concerned for his friend.

"Of course, Happy! She's gonna love 'em, you'll see!" Natsu said, smiling.

They quickly reached Lucy's apartment. The gifts were a little awkward to carry, so Natsu had to knock on the door rather than jump in through the window.

"Just a second!" Lucy called from inside, her voice muffled.

"Well, good luck, Natsu!" Happy called as he started to fly away.

"What are you talking about?! Where are _you_ going?!" Natsu shouted, his voice panicked.

"I really don't think I want to see this. I'm going to see what Carla is doing. Bye!" He yelled as he rapidly flew away.

"Oi! Happy! Get back here!" Natsu shouted at the Exceed. His confidence abruptly vanished. He could feel his heart begin to race and his body begin to sweat. As he turned to flee the door flung wide open. Natsu gaped at Lucy, terrified. Oblivious to Natsu's discomfort, Lucy smiled and somehow seemed to sparkle.

"Natsu! Hi! You surprised me! It's not like you to use the door! Come in. I was just on my way to the guild hall." she said, delighted to see her partner being polite for once rather than just barging in. Natsu trudged inside, dragging his feet.

"Well, I couldn't really let myself in. . ." he said as he nodded towards the large boxes he'd brought with him and held them out towards Lucy.

"Natsu, what _is_ all this?!" Lucy asked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

"It's for you, dummy." he replied. He didn't know how to explain his motives to her. He was hoping the gifts would do the talking for him.

"For me?! _Why_? You know it's not my birthday or anything." Lucy said, trying to wrap her head around the idea of Natsu (of all people) buying her a mound of presents for no reason. _There has to be some catch. . ._ she thought as she recollected all the times he had tricked and manipulated her in the past.

"Well. . . It's just. . . I'm happy that you didn't. . . you know, die and all, so. . ." Natsu said, turning his head away to hide his blush.

Lucy couldn't help but smile. _He really can be pretty sweet._

"Wow, Natsu. That's really nice of you, but you really didn't have to go through all this trouble. . ."

"Just open 'em already, will ya!"

"Sheesh. . . but you really didn't have to. . ." she said as she tore the wrapping from the first box, revealing the pink fishing rod. "I mean, you really, really didn't have to. . ." she muttered as she tried her hardest to look as if she liked it. _I'm not going to have to put a worm on the hook am I?!_

"Now when we go fishing you can join in. Pretty great, huh?" Natsu said, unsure of himself yet trying to sound excited.

Lucy couldn't help but smile and blush. _He's really trying. . . it's kinda cute._ "Yeah, Natsu. It _is_ great. Thank you." Natsu immediately became more cheerful thinking that this plan was working out and Lucy would finally understand what she really meant to him.

"You're going to have to show me how to use it though." Lucy said, trying to be more optimistic about having to actually go fishing. Grasping the rod in one hand, she pathetically swung it forward and the hook bounced back and whacked her in the forehead. The optimism was fading fast.

"It's easy. Here. . ." Natsu said. He stood behind her and, taking her hands in his, placed Lucy's hands correctly on the rod. With his hands firmly planted over hers, Natsu tried to demonstrate how to properly cast a fishing rod.. "Now you just pull it back and. . ." He pulled the rod behind them, then thrust it forward, causing the hook to clank against the opposing wall. Lucy could hardly speak, she was so flustered feeling Natsu's bare chest against her back and his strong hands holding hers. Her face was burning from embarrassment and. . . something else that she didn't understand. They stood there, their bodies touching, for a moment too long. Natsu, realizing the awkwardness from this sudden physical interaction, jumped away from her and tried not to blush. "See? That's how ya do it. It's pretty easy once ya get use to it." he said, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah. Thanks, Natsu." Lucy said. _Maybe fishing won't be so bad. . . _she thought to herself.

"Here. I got ya this, too." Natsu said as he thrust a large, heavy box onto her lap, briefly knocking the wind out of her.

"Umph!" Lucy gasped. "Natsu, this is really too much." She peeled off the wrapping paper and reached into the box. "Yeouch!" she squealed as she burnt her hand on the contents inside. She peeked inside and carefully grasped the hilt of the sword. She shook it free from the box but was unable to lift it. "Natsu! What _is_ this?!"

"It's a sword, dummy! What's it look like? Jeeze, and people say _I'm_ dense. . ." Natsu replied.

"I know it's a sword, idiot!" she said through clenched teeth. "Why did you get this for me?!" she shrieked as the sword burst into flames.

"Well, you're always saying you wanna fight beside your spirits and all, so I figured you could use something besides that wimpy whip!" Natsu said, grinning. "You're my partner, so it makes sense for us to both use fire. Pretty cool, huh?!"

Lucy smiled. She could tell he was excited, so she tried her best to like the gift. She grasped the sword hilt again but still couldn't lift it. "Ugh. I think. . . it's too. . . heavy!"

"Well, you're just gonna have to exercise more or somethin'."

Suddenly Virgo, one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits, appeared. "Is there something wrong, Princess?"

"Virgo, what are you doing here? I didn't call you!" Lucy gasped, surprised.

"I could tell that you were struggling with something. What's this?" She said as she easily lifted the sword off of the floor. A fireball erupted from the tip and Lucy's window curtains burst into flames.

"Ahhhh!" Lucy screamed, realizing that humoring Natsu wasn't worth burning down her apartment. She quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher that she had learned to keep handy since befriending Natsu and rescued her curtains.

Suddenly, a glass case appeared and Virgo placed the flaming sword inside. "Here princess. This is from the Spirit world. It has magical fire resistant qualities, so you need not worry about any more unintentional fires in your home." Virgo glanced over at Natsu. "From the sword, at least. . . My punishment?"

"Ugh. Thanks, Virgo. . ." Lucy said through gritted teeth, wishing her guests would just leave. The day had barely begun yet she was completely exhausted.

"Now you may enjoy looking at your precious sword and thinking of your lover whenever you'd like."

"WHAT?!" Lucy exclaimed as Virgo disappeared. _How could she say something like that?! Lover?! _The silence lingered forever as neither Lucy nor Natsu knew what to say and just concentrated on avoiding eye contact.

"Here. . ." Natsu said gruffly as he handed Lucy the last gift. She wearily took the box, feeling as though her heart was unprepared for its contents. She slowly unraveled the ribbon and peeled away the wrapping paper. Then, she felt the thin, silky fabric. She lifted the garments out of the box, her teeth clenched and eyebrow twitched as her temper began to flare.

"Natsu! W-what the. . ." she stammered as she gazed in horror at the sexy black bra and underwear Natsu had just given her. "What the hell, Natsu?!" she shouted in angry frustration. _What the hell is he thinking?!There must be some kind of mistake. . ._ she tried to rationalize.

"What?!" Natsu sheepishly exclaimed. "I've seen you wearing stuff like that a hundred times! Hell, I've seen you wearing a lot less than that. . ." Natsu said rashly. He seemed to shrink before her.

_There was a catch! Did he think I was going to try it on in front of him?! That stupid pervert. . . _Lucy, unable to control her rage any longer, exploded at Natsu.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY WOULD I WANT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM _YOU_, YOU IDIOT PERVERT?! GET OUT OF HERE!" Lucy screamed as she performed her famous Lucy Kick at Natsu's stomach.

"I dunno! I-I really thought you'd like it! I'm sorr- Umph!" Natsu tried to say as he was kicked in the stomach once more.

"Just get out, idiot!" Lucy yelled as she kicked him right out of her bedroom window.

Natsu looked up at Lucy's window and saw her fuming at him, her brilliant smile from earlier that day replaced by a rage-filled grimace. He gave up trying to please her and gave up trying to apologize. Unable to hold back his tears any longer, he ran down Strawberry Street before Lucy could see him looking so pathetic. His pride, feelings, and stomach were sorely abused by Lucy. _She hates me!_ He thought, miserably. "St-stupid Cana! N-now Lucy'll n-never know!" he muttered to himself as he wiped the tears from his eyes before they could stain his face. He burst into Fairy Tail's guild hall, a dark aura surrounding him.

"Mira! I need the longest mission you got!" he bellowed from the doorway.


	4. Chapter 4

The guild hall became silent for a moment as all eyes were glued to the ominous figure in the doorway. They quickly went back to their normal business when they realized it was just Natsu causing a ruckus. . . again. Natsu stomped over to the bar counter, trying his best to look tough to hide the fact that he had been crying moments before.

"Natsu! What's wrong?!" Mira gasped. He may have been trying to act tough, but she could see he was nothing more than a sullen child on the inside.

"I don't wanna talk about it. I just wanna get outta here for a while." Natsu stubbornly mumbled.

"Okay then, let me see. . . I have the perfect job! There have been a lot of dark guild members congregating at the Akane Resort. The owner wants someone to investigate. I'm sure that Lucy would love this job!"

"No! I gotta go by myself. Ya got anything further away?"

"Oh my! Has something happened between you and Lucy?" Mira prodded.

"I don't wanna talk about it. . ." Natsu muttered.

"Well, running away isn't going to solve your problems. Have you tried talking to her?"

"She doesn't wanna talk to me! She hates me! She thinks I'm an idiot and a pervert. . ." Natsu muttered as a sob tried to escape his voice.

"Natsu, I'm sure she doesn't really think that." Mira said with a motherly smile.

"Yes she does! She said so!" Natsu exclaimed with frustration.

"Well, to be fair, you kinda are." Gray said from behind, trying to antagonize the dragon slayer.

"Oi! Nobody asked you, ice breath!" Natsu cried, raring for a fight.

"So, things didn't go well with Lucy I assume?" Cana slurred with a grin.

Natsu glared at her and clenched his fists. "It's all your fault, wench! If you didn't tell me to get her that stupid underwear none of this would've happened!" Natsu shouted for all the guild to hear.

"Oh, Natsu. . ." Mira sighed, covering her eyes with her hand.

"HAHAHA! What a moron! No wonder she hates you!" Gray laughed.

Poor Natsu looked as if he was either going to start throwing punches or run away crying at any moment.

Cana couldn't help but double-over laughing. Mira glared at her with a demonic grin. "What do _you_ find so funny?" Cana immediately stopped laughing, realizing she had gotten in the way of matchmaker Mira's favorite potential couple. "You've had your fun. . . I hope you're ready to suffer the consequences." Cana shrunk in her bar stool and gulped, wondering if she was going to survive Mira's punishment.

"Natsu, you need to talk to Lucy. I'm sure if you explain everything to her she'll understand." Mira said.

"I told you! She doesn't wanna talk to me!" Natsu slumped at the bar counter feeling defeated.

"Why would you buy her underwear in the first place?" Gray asked.

"I dunno. . . I felt like getting her something is all. . ." Natsu mumbled.

"You _like_ her, don't you?" Gray prodded.

"Shut up!" Natsu cried, hating being teased, especially by Gray.

"Jeeze, you're such a child. Just go and tell her how you feel, dumbass."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Lucy's apartment. . .

"Ugh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Lucy shouted as she flung herself onto her bed. From the corner of her eye she could see the glow from her flaming sword. She turned on her side and tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't stop thinking about Natsu. It was just like that time she thought he was going to confess his feelings for her but he really just wanted to borrow Virgo.

_I can't believe I thought he was being sweet. . . Maybe I'm the stupid one. How can he make fun of a girl's feelings like that?! _She felt tears streaming down her face before she knew she was crying. _God Lucy! Get a hold of yourself! Why are you crying over that idiot? _

She knew why. The truth was, she had been harboring romantic feelings for Natsu since the first day they met. At first it was just a small crush, but as time went by she realized that everything in her life that brought her happiness was because of him. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew she was in love. She didn't expect him to return her feelings. I mean, it was _Natsu_! If he only knew what every kind word and every touch meant to her. . . She thought that she could be happy so long as she was by his side, but she desperately wanted more.

"That idiot!" she cried into her pillow. She sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She wasn't going to be able to sleep, so she decided to clean her apartment. Being productive usually made her feel better. She picked up the pink fishing rod and flushed as she remembered the warmth of his hands holding hers. She shivered, suddenly feeling cold. She put the fishing rod by the front door and went to examine the blazing sword. It's fiery glow was mesmerizing. _It's too bad I'll never be able to use it. . . maybe I can ask Virgo for a flaming whip. . ._

She turned around and picked up the black lingerie from the floor. She felt her temper begin to flare once more, but then she noticed the pattern embroidered on the cup. _Wow. . . this is actually pretty cute._ she thought as she rubbed the pink flames with her thumbs. She undressed and tried on the lingerie. While admiring herself in the mirror, she imagined herself striking a sexy pose in front of Natsu wearing nothing but this gift and seeing the lustful expression on his face. She blushed and when she looked in the mirror again she noticed something glinting on the floor behind her. She turned to pick it up. _A key?_

Suddenly, Happy burst in through her window.

"Luuucy! What did you do?!" he cried crossly.

"What do you mean 'what did I do'?! And use the door for once, will you?!" she shouted, startled and embarrassed to be caught in nothing but her underwear by the Exceed. Happy didn't seem to notice.

"Natsu is at the guild and he says he wants to leave for a long mission by himself! I know he was just here with you! What did you do to Natsu?!" Happy shouted. Lucy had never seen him so angry before.

"Ugh. . . that idiot. . ." Lucy muttered as she began to get dressed. "I didn't do anything! He's the one-" she suddenly stopped talking, realizing that she may have overreacted a little bit. _Natsu probably might have just been trying to be nice, after all. He's so dense, maybe he really didn't know that lingerie is an inappropriate gift for someone that's not your girlfriend. Also, I did look pretty hot in it. . ._

"Let's go, Happy." she said as she hurried out of her apartment and towards the guild hall before Natsu could do anything reckless that she would regret.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucy burst into the Fairy Tail guild searching for the pink-haired dragon slayer. She quickly scanned the room, but he was nowhere in sight. Carla was chatting amiably with Wendy and waved Happy over to their table. Unable to resist the temptation of friendly attention from Carla, Happy decided to leave Natsu in Lucy's hopefully capable hands.

"Lucy!" Mira called from behind the bar. Lucy sighed and walked over to her. She was in a hurry and wasn't in the mood for chit-chat. "Are you looking for Natsu?"

"Yes! Have you seen him?" Lucy asked desperately.

"Yeah, you just missed him." Mira said, trying to hold back a smile. _Young love. . . so cute!_

"Did he say where he was going?" Lucy asked, alarm creeping into her voice.

"He said something about a long mission. I think he went to pack." Mira said, causing Lucy to panic even more.

"Thanks, Mira! I owe you one!" Lucy said as she frantically rushed out of the guild hall.

"Good luck!" Mira cried, secretly enjoying every moment of their drama.

_It's not too late! Please don't let it be too late!_ Lucy thought as she ran towards Natsu and Happy's house. She knocked repeatedly on the door but there was no answer. "Natsu!" she called. "Are you in there?!" She turned the handle and found it unlocked. "Hello?" she called as she opened the door, revealing the messy, empty room. "Natsu!" she called again. _Damnit! He's not here! _She felt her eyes fill with tears, but pushed them aside and hurried determinedly back to the guild hall to see if anyone else had any information.

With her mind and legs racing, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and crashed into a large, muscular figure, falling over on to her butt.

"Oi! Watch where yer goin'!" Gajeel said irritably as he reached out his hand to help her up.

"Sorry. . ." Lucy mumbled, brushing the dirt off of her skirt. "Hey, have you seen Natsu?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Nope." Gajeel said flatly.

"Oh. . ." Lucy said gloomily as she turned to walk away.

"Oi! Bunny girl!" Gajeel called to her, uncomfortable to see the usually cheerful blonde looking so depressed. It wasn't really in his character, but he felt as though he could help her out. "Lemme see if I can sniff him out."

Lucy quickly turned around, her big brown eyes swimming with tears and a large smile on her face. "Really?! Thanks, Gajeel!"

"It's nothin'. . ." Gajeel said with a blush as he scratched the back of his head. He always felt awkward when girls were acting cute around him. He sniffed in the air for a few moments, trying to catch Natsu's scent. "He's over in Southgate Park."

"Thank you so much!" Lucy gasped as she embraced the metal dragon slayer.

"Alright, alright. Get outta here. . ." Gajeel said, blushing deeply and pushing her away.

In a few minutes Lucy arrived at the park completely out of breath. She stopped at the gate to collect herself and search the area. She immediately noticed a familiar pink-haired figure sitting beside one of the cherry trees.

"Natsu!" she called, racing over to him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Lucy?!" Natsu gasped, startled as he hastily jumped to his feet.

Lucy crashed into him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. Without warning, she burst into tears, crying loudly. "You can't go, idiot! Don't you know. . . it's always more fun. . . when we're together!" she sobbed into his chest.

"Lucy. . ." he said quietly, still shocked. He wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes, and placed his head on hers. "I know. I'm not going anywhere."

In that moment they both realized what they truly meant to each other. Natsu pulled away slightly so he could look into Lucy's eyes. "You're so weird." he said as he gently wiped the tears from her face. She laughed and smiled up at him.

"Oh!" she cried as she suddenly remembered the silver key in her pocket. She pulled it out and held it towards Natsu. "What's this?"

Natsu examined it. "Oh yeah. I got you this key, too. I wrapped it with the. . .underwear." Natsu mumbled, cringing. He didn't want to think about it anymore. "I guess you didn't see it right away."

Lucy scrutinized the key more closely. "This is Felis!" Lucy gasped. "This key is so rare! It must have cost a fortune!"

"Nah, it wasn't too bad." Natsu said while rubbing the back of his neck and feeling pretty cool.

"Gate of the Tiny Cat, I open thee! Felis!" Lucy cried, summoning her new spirit.

A tiny white kitten with a moon-shaped patch on its head appeared before them. "Mew!" it said, looking up at Lucy with its big, blue eyes.

"Oh my gosh!" Lucy squealed as she hurriedly scooped up the adorable Celestial Spirit and squeezed it tightly. "It's so cute!" she exclaimed with a large grin on her face.

"Yeah." Natsu said softly as he gazed at Lucy while she sparkled with glee.

"I think I'll name her. . . Lili!" Lucy said happily, still tightly squeezing the poor fluffy kitten. Lucy lunged towards Natsu and quickly kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Natsu! I just hope she gets along with Pl-" Without thinking, Natsu grasped her in a tight embrace. He was so relieved to have finally made her smile. Lili took the opportunity of her master being distracted to escape Lucy's deathly tight grip. After a minute or so, Natsu pulled away, holding Lucy at arms length. Their faces flushed and hearts raced as they felt the walls of friendship crumble between them. As he looked into Lucy's glimmering brown eyes, Natsu decided to try something he'd been wanting to do for a long time. He leaned towards her and slowly placed his lips on hers, hoping that it wouldn't earn him another Lucy Kick to the stomach. Lucy hesitated for a moment, then wholeheartedly kissed him back. They stayed that way, wrapped in each other's arms under the cherry trees, for a long time.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Natsu barged into the guild hall, a large, boyish grin on his face and his arm slung over Lucy's shoulders. Lucy was blushing while carrying Lili and Plue.

"Hey, Mira!" he shouted. "We'll take that mission!"

"Great!" Mira said smiling. "I'm glad you two were able to make up!"

"Mhmm!" Lucy said, blushing deeply as she became increasingly aware that Natsu was clinging to her in front of everyone.

"Hi, Natsu! Hi Lucy!" Happy said cheerfully as he flew over to greet them. He suddenly noticed the kitten in Lucy's arms and his face turned ghastly pale in horror. "You're replacing me!" he wailed as he flew away, tears streaming down his face.

"Oi! Happy! Get back here!" Natsu shouted after the Exceed. "I should probably go get him. . ." he muttered to Lucy as he turned to chase after his companion.

"Yeah, see you later!" Lucy said encouragingly. Natsu paused, turned back towards Lucy, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before running after Happy.

"Happy! We're not replacing you, idiot! You were with me when I bought it!" he shouted as he raced out of the hall.

Lucy slowly turned to face her friends at the bar who stared gaping at her. "W-what?!" she said while tugging on her hair, her face a brilliant shade of red.

"Lucy!" Mira squealed as she lunged over the counter to embrace her. "I just _knew_ this would happen, I just thought it would be a lot sooner!"

"S-stop! You're embarrassing me. . ." Lucy mumbled, trying to act as though it wasn't a big deal.

"So. . . you liked the underwear after all!" Cana teased, winking at the blushing Celestial Spirit Mage.

"W-what! How did you know about that?!" Lucy shrieked, ready to die from humiliation.

"I bet you're wearing it right now. C'mon! Lemme see!" Cana said provokingly as she tried to pull Lucy's shirt off.

"S-stop it! You're just as bad as the guys!" Lucy said as she struggled to get away from the troublesome card mage.

"You seem to be having a lot of fun for someone under punishment." Mira said with an innocent smile, yet an ominous demonic aura surrounded her.

"What?! I-I thought I was off the hook, I mean, since it all worked out in the end!" Cana cried.

"Well, I suppose I can remove one day from your sentence." Mira said mercifully.

"No Way! H-h-how am I suppose to go 29 days with alcohol! P-please, Mira! You gotta forgive me! Lucy, say something!" Cana miserably pleaded.

"Maybe you'll think next time before you meddle with romance." Mira said, ending the conversation.

"NOOOOO!" Cana cried, dramatically dropping to her knees. "Lucy, you gotta help me!" she begged.

"N-no way! Do you think I have a death wish?! I'm not interfering with what Mira wants! Nuh-uh!" Lucy said as she backed away, shaking her head.

"Some friend you are. . ." Cana muttered, earning her death glares from Mira and Lucy.

"Well, I should start packing for that mission. See you guys later!" Lucy said as she turned to leave.

"Bye, Lucy! Be gentle with Natsu!" Mira called after her. Lucy froze in shock and then ran out of the guild without responding. There are only so many embarrassing things a girl can handle in one day!

* * *

_One week later. . ._

"Man, that was easy!" Natsu exclaimed as he stretched his arms above his head and yawned loudly. He, Lucy, and Happy had just left the resort manager's office after collecting their reward.

"Mhmm! And we hardly destroyed anything, so we almost got the full reward!" Lucy said cheerfully. "I can't wait to go shopping!"

"Well, we finished a week early, so we may as well stay awhile. . ." Natsu said.

"Okay!" Lucy agreed, excited to spend some time relaxing at the resort instead of hunting down bad guys.

It was late in the afternoon when they reached the beach. The sun had begun to set and the first stars of the night twinkled in the darkening sky. The couple settled down on a remote dock, their fishing rods in hand and bare feet dangling in the water. Happy, exhausted from their mission, lay curled up sleeping at the end of the dock. Lili and Plue cuddled together, dozing in Lucy's lap. Natsu helped Lucy cast her rod and they sat together closely.

"See, Luce! It's more fun doing this together!" Natsu said grinning.

"Mmm, yeah." Lucy replied as she rested her head on the dragon slayer's shoulder. They quietly sat side by side, fishing, watching the sunset, and enjoying one another's company, happy to have ended their dramatic episode, happy to have successfully completed another mission, but, most of all, just happy to be together.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! :)**


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